Pastors Ponderings: Dump it all In!
Pastor Jim submitted the following thoughts on 3/20/17 regarding our commitment. Do we trust God enough to follow His instructions to give our all? Or do we hold back and keep some for ourselves just in case God doesn’t come through? Greetings Friends: PLEASE READ: Isaiah 58:11 & 13a… “The LORD will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never...
Read MoreGod Reigns and the Son Shines!
Why do bad things happen to good people? Is God really in control? Does He care???
On March 24, 2017 our Signboard said: “Forecast- God Reigns, and the Son Shines!”
No matter what happens, God is still in control and Jesus is ready to shine into our lives… if we let Him…
Pastors Ponderings: Running into a Burning House!
Pastor Jim submitted the following thoughts on 3/18/17… Greetings Friends: PLEASE READ: Matthew 9:35-38 “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the...
Read MorePastors Ponderings: Who is St. Patrick?
Pastor Jim submitted the following on 3/17/17… Greetings Friends: A very Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all! Below is a brief yet informative article about Patrick and this day. I cannot take credit for it other than I received it from Christian History Institute, of whom I am a member. I hope you are blessed by this humble offering about a wonderful Saint of the Christian Church. Pastor Jim We all Know St. Partick’s Day… but what about St. Patrick Himself??? ON...
Read MoreGod’s Love Story (2/12/17)
Valentine’s Day! Love!!! What is Love? More importantly, what is God’s Love? In this sermon Pastor Jim took a look at the book of Hosea to see a demonstration of what God’s love looks like.
God is crazy in love with you. Will you return that love? Will you accept Him into your heart? He wants to forgive you and begin a relationship with you right now. What does this story in Hosea teach us about that love?
Everybody is a Player on God’s Super Team (2/5/17)
Super Bowl Sunday… Things were a little different in church on this particular sabbath. Pastor Jim wasn’t wearing his usual clergy robe. Instead he was trying to look like Jerry Rice with his red 49’ers jersey. The service listed in the bulletin looked a bit strange too: things like “The Huddle Up”, “A Time Out”, and the “Coin Toss” marked the schedule. We were surrounded by object lessons, and Pastor Jim’s sermon put them to use,...
Read MoreLenten Devotional for 2017
Members from four local churches have come together to produce a Daily Devotional for this year’s Lenten season. The booklets were published in hardcopy form and distributed within the participating churches, but electronic copies of the devotions are presented here. If you want a printed copy, visit or contact one of the participating churches: Evangelical UMC (Clarksboro) Zion Community Church (Clarksboro) Trinity United Methodist Church (Mullica Hill) and Pitman United Methodist...
Read MoreThere’s No “I” in “LOVE”!
The signboard said… THERE’S NO “I” IN “LOVE”! OK…. maybe a little corny and trite. Maybe a bit too much along the lines of the classic message that says “WHAT’S MISSING IN CH CH?” (if you need the answer… “U R” missing…). But, can love be truly selfless? Don’t you have to love yourself before you can love others? And don’t you have to think of yourself before you can love...
Read MoreDoublin’ Down with Job!
When someone we love dies, do we really loose them??? You’re probably familiar with the story of Job; He’s a rich landowner who lived sometime around the time of Abram. There’s this strange conversation in heaven, and the next thing you know he’s lost all of his possessions and his children. But some of the fine print details that we tend to skip over in a passage like this need to be noticed. Here’s what it says in Job 1:1-2… There once was a man named...
Read MoreThe True Star of Christmas (1/8/17)
In last year’s sermon series on Epiphany (entitled “Three Men and a Baby”), Pastor Jim focused on the Wise Men and the Gifts. In this year’s Epiphany sermon, he focused on the star. What was the star? Was it a natural occurrence or something else? What does it mean for us today? During the sermon, Pastor Jim referenced back to last year’s series, so links to each of the three sermons are presented below: Three Men and a Baby… The first part of last...
Read MoreBeing Renewed Day by Day
Does life have you down? Do all of the details and to do lists bulge into an insurmountable burden; a burden that weighs you down so much that you can’t move on? A burden so heavy that you don’t even want to out of bed in the morning? But God promises us that He is always with us. His strength is always available. Like the manna provided to the Israelites on a day by day basis, God is there every morning to help you carry that burden for that day. And He’ll be there...
Read MoreEntering a Jughandle, Rotary, or Roundabout (12/6/16)
As we approach Christmas, Pastor Jim has been preaching a series entitled “An Advent Road Trip.” This was the 2nd part in that series. Is Christmas just a destination? Buy the gifts, wrap the gifts, take down the tree and move on? Is there something we can take from Christmas; not only from Christmas Day but from the journey to Christmas? The following recording is from the 11:00 service. Click on the play button, then scroll down to follow along… Our scripture...
Read MoreThe 12 Days of Christmas Decoded!
We’re all familiar with the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” But other than a silly party song where a quartet of friends gets make fools of themselves by squawking like “Calling Birds” (whatever they are), is there any spiritual significance in this song’s lyrics? There are many versions of the origin and meaning of this song, but a spiritual application to each “gift” mentioned in this song can be made. Back when this song was written,...
Read MoreZephaniah Offers Encouragement During Longest Night Service (12/21/16)
December 21… the first day of winter, and the year’s longest night. For those who have lost something or someone during the year, this night can be a forebearer of a Blue Christmas. And so, as part of our Advent preparation, our Blue Christmas service helps us to re-connect with God’s promises. A loss may be a painful bump in the road or change in course, but God is still in control. During our service on 12/21/16, Pastor Jim turned to the “Minor Prophet”...
Read MoreBecoming Agents of Holiness-Pt 3 (10/2/16)
Why didn’t God answer my prayer?!? This is a struggle Christians always run into. Maybe God just hasn’t answered it YET. Maybe He did answer it and it wasn’t the answer you were looking for so you didn’t recognize the answer. Or, sometimes it’s because the connection between you and God has been blocked. Blocked by a Prayer Whammy! Read on to find out more…
Read MoreBecoming Agents of Holiness- Pt 2 (9/25/16)
“The Power of Intercessory Prayer” Pastor Jim is preaching a sermon series on Prayer, entitled “Becoming Objects of Holiness.” Last week, he introduced the series by challenging us with the importance of prayer, and highlighting the importance of praying together (“Corporate Prayer”). In this week’s sermon, he reminded us of the power that comes when we pray for others (“Intercessory Prayer”). Peter was in jail, about to be executed, and his friends...
Read MoreBecoming Agents of Holiness- Pt 1 (9/18/16)
Pastor Jim is beginning a sermon series on Prayer, entitled “Becoming Objects of Holiness.” In this first week, he reminded us that prayer changes us; it doesn’t change God. In order to grow into holiness and to be an “agent” that God can use to His glory, we must develop an active and growing prayer life. And it’s important that we pray together as a family of believers in “Corporate Prayer.” Yeah- I can go into my “prayer closet”...
Read MorePrayer: Steering Wheel or Spare Tire???
The next time you get into your car, notice what you do. It’s all habit so you probably haven’t even thought about it. But chances are, you sit down, buckle up, and then you start the engine. But before you go, what’s the first part of the car you touch? Or put it this way… do you start out by touching the Steering Wheel or do you instantly go to the Spare Tire?
Read MoreWhere is Your Bethany? (8/21/16)
We all need a place of rest. A place where we can gather with friends, let our hair down, and unwind. Even Jesus needed a place like that. Sometimes He went up on a mountaintop by Himself to pray. While in Jerusalem, He frequently prayed in a grove of Olive Trees. One time He was transfigured as He met on a mountaintop with Elijha and Moses! But another place that was special to Jesus was a village down the road from Jerusalem called Bethany. Lay Speaker (“Lay Servant”) Jim...
Read MoreThe Long and Winding Road (7/31/16)
Life is like a “Long and Winding Road.” We pass through a path of graduations, marriages, and births. But we also hit the valleys of job loss, divorce, and death. We long for something constant. On a winding mountain road, someone had been there before. The road is paved. Guardrails were installed. Someone keeps going through and maintains the road.
Is there someone like that in life? Are we traveling this road alone???
Read More